Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Setting Priorities

One of the crucial steps to getting a New Year off to a rousing start is to take the time to set your priorities for the upcoming months. Christ shared with his disciples in Matthew 6:25-27 to set their priorities and to not be anxious about the future; “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life; what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more that clothing?

How do you measure up when it comes to setting priorities for your life?

The following story was sent to me recently and it so eloquently illustrates the need to take control of your life and to surrender it to the Master’s touch….see if you don’t agree!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the story of the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he quietly picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles, poured them into the jar and shook it lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full….they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured its contents into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The response was a unanimous 'yes!' The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar…. effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to understand that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your faith, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only these remained…. your life would still be full! The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff” 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life…..

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical for your happiness so you can….

Spend time with your children.
Spend time with your parents and visit your grandparents.
Get medical checkups and follow your doctor’s advice.
Take your spouse out to dinner and get away for a romantic weekend at least once a year.
Play another 18 or dig in the dirt…there will always be time to clean the house or fix the disposal.


Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.


Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.

So take heart and remember…..seek ye first the kingdom and everything else you need will be provided from your Heavenly Father.

Living one day at a time…looking for His return,
WPQ

Monday, January 5, 2009

CHANGE IS COMING!!!!

It has been said there is only one thing in this world that remains constant…and that is CHANGE!!!!

If that is true, then it behooves one of wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. We have already been inundated (by both political parties) over the last several months to expect change. We only have to read the daily headlines to see that our world is in a constant state of influxuation….financial disarray, rising unemployment, spiraling food and health costs…. All producing…change…Change….CHANGE.

Now for most of us, change is something of a dirty word, or at least one that makes us very uncomfortable. We strive to live our lives in a calm and peaceful manner; free from the upheavals of change. Yet, try as we might, change happens! In fact, God’s word tells us that change is coming ….but praise be, it also tells us who is in charge of that change.
“I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends the good times and the bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. Isaiah 45: 7 NLT

Our typical response to change is one of fear and trepidation. We all too often begin to look at our circumstances rather than our provision. Unfortunately, change seems to always bring fear before it births faith. Fear seems to focus on the worst rather than hold claim to the best.

When God chooses to interrupt the natural flow of our life with change or something that we have never encountered before….we choose panic over praise. James, the Lord’s brother, wrote in his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds (change, my interpretation), for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Yes, when calamity or change occurs that is unsettling or disheartening, we can view the presence of the problem as the absence of God ….and our simplistic response is to try and run away from the mess we find ourselves in. Or… we can do the unexpected; we can praise Him from whom all blessings and problems flow!

We can take comfort in and find joy in the midst of any trial if we will but remember that God is on our side…and that He is in control. He is working all things out for our good… so that we may be perfect and complete in Him.

So….change is coming and you have two distinct choices….Prepare to Panic … or… Praise His Provision…for no matter the magnitude of the change that comes…our God is sufficient to meet and exceed ALL OUR NEEDS.

Standing firm….Praising His Provision,
WPQ

Friday, January 2, 2009

Riders To Your Post...

AND THEY’RE OFF….so says the track announcer at the start of each race….and that is often the phrase that describes each of us at the beginning of a New Year.

The New Year has begun and in an effort not to be left behind at the starting gate….WE COME OUT RUNNING AT FULL SPEED. Unfortunately, too often, we have no idea where we are headed. This year, why not try something a little different in order to see real growth and maturity in you and your relationships. You see, knowledge is power and we know the source of REAL POWER.

Though most of us would welcome a crystal ball or a well-connected psychic to help us plot the course of 2009… that’s probably not going to happen, so what can we do? (Besides, how much fun would life really be if we always knew what was coming our way…. Be it good or bad!)

There is a way, however, to stay connected to the true source of life and power….reading God’s word on a daily basis. In fact, Psalm 119: 105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Now, most of us want a bright spotlight or a massive floodlight to light our way; enough light so nothing will sneak up on us or catch us by surprise…. but God promises to provide a lamp…a single, solitary source of light by which He will light our path.

In biblical times, a lamp was little more than a candle in a candleholder or a wick shoved in a bottle of olive oil…and the light from either barely covered your next step. Today’s modern lamps come in all shapes and sizes and extreme wattages…some bright enough to light a runway where you could land 747’s. But that’s not what God has promised. He has promised to light your feet; to show you the next step along the path that He has chosen for you. He will not leave you in the dark, but He does require that you trust Him for the next step and the next step and the next….one step after the other leading you to fulfillment in Him.

But from where does this light come? It comes from spending time in His word…not dashing over a couple of scriptures verses just before heading off to run in the race of this world. It means setting aside some time where you and God’s word come together with the express desire of getting to know Him better, to listen for the voice and instruction of the Holy Spirit and to dwell on His precepts and commandments for righteous living.

So, put aside the desire to know what’s up ahead and slow down to enjoy the relationship that God has set aside for you….He is the light that will illuminate your path…He will guard your step….and He will protect you from all that you cannot see.

Just stay focused on Him and His Word and this year will take care of itself…..one step at a time!!!!!

Living in the moment ….secure in His Promise,
WPQ